On this location the Georgia Military Institute (GMI) was established July 1, 1851. Seven students started classes that July and 28 men were in attendance by the end of the first year. Originally funded by private subscription and donations, GMI began its official relationship with the state in 1852, when the legislature chartered the school and presented it with muskets, swords, and a battery of four cannons.
GMI’s 110-acre campus included a parade ground, an academic building, four student barracks, and a residence for the school superintendent. The school based its curriculum on the course of study at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Discipline at the institution was strict. Between 50 and 75 percent of students left GMI each year because of the tough physical and academic standards.
GMI operated regularly until the spring of 1864 when the cadets were formed into two companies and deployed to West Point, Georgia, as a result of the Civil War. On May 14, 1864, GMI cadets fought in the Battle of Resaca and made contact with the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry regiment. After this single engagement, the cadets were pulled off the front line.
The empty campus was burned by Sherman's troops on November 15, 1864. Following the Civil War, the Georgia Military Institute was not rebuilt.
Today, the site contains a hotel, built in the style of the GMI, and the original GMI superintendent’s home, Brumby Hall, which houses the Gone with the Wind Museum.